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Increased Incidence of Pediatric Uveitis Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic Occurring Before COVID-19 Vaccine
Céline Lafay1, Zein Assad1, Naïm Ouldali1
1Department of General Pediatrics, Pediatric Internal Medicine, Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases, National Reference Centre for Rare Pediatric Inflammatory Rheumatisms and Systemic Autoimmune diseases (RAISE), Robert-Debré University Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic was linked to a significant rise in pediatric uveitis incidence. This increase predates child COVID-19 vaccinations, suggesting the trend is unrelated to immunization efforts.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Pediatric uveitis is a rare but serious ocular inflammatory condition.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with various health impacts, including potential effects on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and the incidence of pediatric uveitis.
- To determine if the pandemic influenced the occurrence of uveitis in children.
Main Methods:
- A time-series analysis of national French hospital records from January 2012 to March 2022.
- Inclusion of all children hospitalized for uveitis.
- Quasi-Poisson regression to analyze incidence trends and a cohort comparison of uveitis characteristics before and after the pandemic's onset.
Main Results:
- A total of 2492 children were hospitalized for uveitis during the study period.
- The COVID-19 pandemic correlated with a 44.9% increase in pediatric uveitis incidence.
- The rise in uveitis began in October 2020, preceding the national pediatric vaccination program in June 2021, and affected all uveitis types.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased the incidence of pediatric uveitis.
- The observed rise in pediatric uveitis is independent of COVID-19 vaccination programs for children.
Objective:
To examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increased incidence of uveitis in children.
Study Design:
We performed a time-series analysis of patient records from a national, hospital-based, French surveillance system. All children hospitalized for uveitis in France between January 2012 and March 2022 were included. The incidence of newly diagnosed uveitis per 100 000 children per trimester in France was analyzed by a quasi-Poisson regression. A cohort of children diagnosed with uveitis at Robert-Debré Hospital was used to compare the characteristics of uveitis after and before the onset of the pandemic.
Results:
During the study period, 2492 children were hospitalized for uveitis in France. The COVID-19 pandemic, which started in March 2020, was associated with a significant increase in the occurrence of uveitis (estimated cumulative change, 44.9%; 95% CI 11.4-78.4; P < .001). The increase in the incidence of pediatric uveitis started in October 2020, while the national immunization program targeting children aged less than 18 years began in June 2021. This increase involved all forms of uveitis, regardless of location, and clincial characteristics were similar to those diagnosed before the pandemic.
Conclusions:
Our study evidenced a significant increase in the incidence of pediatric uveitis following the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase occurred 6 months before the implementation of the national COVID-19 vaccination program for children, suggesting that the resurgence of this rare disease is independent of COVID-19 vaccination.
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